


Baby Steps

by Twilight_Shadow_Songs



Series: Rocky Redemption [5]
Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Multi, my own team
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-19 01:00:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5950243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twilight_Shadow_Songs/pseuds/Twilight_Shadow_Songs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Team, or members of it, don't trust that Amazing Grace and Glorious Gordon Godfrey are genuine in their departure from Darkseid's forces. Slowly but surely, the twins make baby steps.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My Sweet Peace

**Author's Note:**

> I took a background character for Dash and made him my own. please be kind to him <3

**Superboy**  
_I was born in a big grey cloud_  
Screaming out a love song  
All the broken chords and unnamed cries  
What a place to come from 

_I wish to remain nameless_  
And live without shame  
'Cause what's in a name, oh  
I still remain the same  
-Remain Nameless, Florence and the Machine 

 

Superboy felt like he was walking into the den of the enemy as he walked into the new home of the new Justice League hero Daystar. Or, as Superboy knew him, Gordon Godfrey. One of the people that Superboy hated most, especially after the whole issue with learning that Godfrey was really a New God helping in a plot to take over Earth. Not once with the Reach but twice with the Apocolips New Gods, all under orders of a verifiable Devil Incarnate, Darkseid. 

Suffice to say with a year after the whole Apokolips invasion thing, Superboy’s trust in the new hero was close to nill. 

So when he had been instructed by Superman to spend two weeks with Godfrey as the new hero was still recovering despite being out of the hospital and needed someone to make sure he didn’t do anything that would kill him (Superboy also got the silent inference that he was also meant to keep an eye on Godfrey in case he went back to Darkseid for whatever reason) the young man put up an argument against his mentor/technical father.

“He betrayed the human race countless times! He’s not even human!” 

“ _We’re_ not human. Give Godfrey the chance to redeem himself, Connor”

“But Clark-”

“But nothing. Need I remind you two members of the Young Justice owe their lives to the man you are so willing to hate?”

“...”

“Not to mention he could have turned the entire human race, superheroes included, on each other, but he didn’t. We owe him at least a second chance, Connor”

After that Connor hadn’t seen any point in continuing to argue. He had largely mastered his anger over the years and now just left in sullen silence. He did the mature thing and packed his bags to go stay with Godfrey, wishing the sister wasn’t undergoing further rehabilitation and going through intense therapy to get her okay with the idea of spending her life on Earth. From what he’d heard, she’d never been off Apokolips and he could only imagine how jarring the transition was. By order of Batman, the twins had been temporarily separated until they were sure that she was safe to enter general society and more importantly was not a spy. With only Glorious to vouch for her, the League’s faith was next to nonexistent. The only reason Godfrey wasn’t getting the same treatment was because of Little Barda , Powerboy, Question and even Huntress vouching for him. Not to mention he had passed a mental screening by both J’onn and M’gan proving he was telling the outmost truth for the one time in his (as Superboy had been much assured) miserable life.

“If he tries anything just punch him in the stomach and get the League” Nightwing told Superboy as they walked up the path on the hill to the charming little cabin that overlooked the city ‘Daystar’ had decided to take care of. It was just on the fringe and comfortably nestled in a grove of trees as well. It was charming and Superboy felt that this New God didn’t deserve it. 

When they got to the porch Godfrey was sitting against the railing of the porch with his head tilted up to the sun, his golden hair un-combed and curling gently against his ears, his clothes a blue t-shirt and faded blue jeans and brown combat boots. He looked more like a model than a reporter. Looked more like a human man than the New God that had been in a roundabout way responsible for the death of Wally West. Superboy scowled at the figure, wishing he could do more than punch him if he tried anything. “Glorious” Nightwing said coldly and Godfrey opened his eyes and looked at the two. He picked up his cane and limped over to the two of them ,glancing between the two. He didn’t seem phased by the cold looks both were giving him.

“Ah, Nightwing and Superboy, good to see you, I suppose. Tell me, how’s Amazing?” 

“Wanting to see you. Now get inside and get your ass back into that bed where it’s supposed to be” Connor said roughly and both Nightwing and Godfrey shot him a look. Godfrey turned and limped back to the cabin while Nightwing held Connor back.

“Hey, watch your temper man. He hasn’t done anything since his defection that would possibly warrant you being cruel. I wouldn’t suggest being friendly, but cut the attitude. Right now, he is _not_ the enemy” Conner scowled but nodded. He hefted the bags and as Nightwing trudged back down the hill Conner walked into the cabin. There was music softly playing and white with yellow trim curtains blowing in the soft breeze. It was so quaint Conner could have taken a picture and used it as a hallmark card. He sneered at the picturesque scene. Again, Godfrey didn’t deserve anything nearly this good. It was just as well that he didn’t have his sister with him, Superboy couldn’t help but spitefully think, or Godfrey would have a little heaven on earth and with everything he’d done, they couldn’t have that, not at all.

“Oh wipe the scowl off your face now. Just because I found somewhere peaceful to rest my bones does not in the slightest mean I’m remotely happy right this second” The New God breathed a heavy sigh and leaned on his cane. “I did not want you to come here. You or anyone but Question, Huntress or Amazing. However, I’m not able to complain and I doubt you can either” Conner narrowed his eyes at the man but said nothing and just dropped his bags to the floor and stalked back out of the cabin. 

 

~*~

The next few days were tense though Godfrey seemed to make the most of it. He didn’t attempt to extend a hand of anything near remotely friendship, but he just stayed close to the half Kryptonian, as per the request they both knew they had to abide by. Conner followed Godfrey on his walks in the hills and Superboy accompanied Daystar on his short nightly ventures into the city. They mostly stopped muggers or would be thieves before Daystar had to go back home and slump into his bedroom, Conner preferring to stay outside and watch the stars. He didn’t feel comfortable sleeping in the same house as G. Gordon Godfrey.

Until the thunderstorm and it rained so hard Conner couldn’t safely stay outside. Godfrey offered him one of the two guest rooms and Conner chose the one farthest from Glorious, just because of the unease he still felt. He was halfway asleep when the other man started screaming. Conner wasted no time getting out of bed and running to the man’s bedroom. It didn’t sound like attack screams, but tortured ones. They were also muffled, as though by a pillow and the thick door of Godfrey’s bedroom. 

“Please...Stop...Not her...sto-op, please!” the screams had faded into whimpers and mutters that Conner could hear if he really listened. The half-Kryptonian padded over to the bed and stared down at the New God. Glorious wore concealing clothing nowadays and now Conner could see why as the man’s pajama shirt rode up to his chest. His body was covered in new, puckered scars and burn marks. Apparently just the tiniest taste of the price Glorious Godfrey paid for his betrayal. 

Conner padded back to his own bed and stared at the ceiling until morning, thinking.

He wasn’t ready to forgive Godfrey for all he had helped do and the damage he had caused, but he was willing to be a tad bit nicer to the man. So when Godfrey offered to make food Conner did instead to make it easier on the still weak man, and when Godfrey tried his hand at a joke, Conner smiled. 

~*~

“I can’t believe you survived two weeks with Godfrey! I’m surprised he didn’t try to turn you in to Apokolips or something” Exclaimed Beast Boy, Now Changeling, when Conner got back to the tower. Conner shrugged, thinking of the now quiet man and his night terrors. 

“I dunno, I think maybe they’re right. I think he’s defected for real” Changeling just shook his head.

 

 

**Little Boy Blue**  
_I'm just a man, but I know that I'm damned_  
All the dead seem to know where I am  
'Til it began on the night of my birth  
Will be done in a turn of the earth  
-Ghost on the Shore, Lord Huron 

Little Boy Blue, or Dashell ‘Dash’ Byrd as he was known in his civilian guise, could remember when the Reach invaded earth. He remembered having a mistrust of superheroes with his mother fueling that by quoting her favorite news guy, Gordon Godfrey. It had been two years and the gangly freckle-faced fourteen year old blond couldn’t find it in himself to hate Gordon Godfrey. He could find less in himself to mistrust Godfrey’s sister. Despite the fact that the Reach was responsible for the death of the previous Boy Blue, Dashell just could not hate the twins for the role they played. The Reach however, the Reach he mistrusted fully. They had taken him from his mom when all he had been doing was waiting at the bus stop for her. He'd fallen asleep and the next thing he knew....He had been in a cage with some girl named Stephanie. No, he could trust and understand G. Gordon Godfrey but if a member of the Reach tried the same thing? Dash knew he'd have as hard a time trusting them as the rest of the Team did Godfrey.

It wasn't like Godfrey had really had a choice in what he was doing either. He had a job he needed to do that he thought would protect his sister, as she had a job that she thought would protect her brother. The other Reach Abductees knew very well what it was like getting tricked and used for a job, or doing it because they felt they had to. Dashell understood too. And it was really no fun. Therefore he didn't hold anything against either twin and strove to be as nice to both of them as he could be. 

“Hiya Amazing” he said cheerfully through the door of the tower’s room that Amazing Grace was staying in until she was sufficiently proven to be a ‘good guy’. Dashell didn’t see what others saw, he just saw a broken woman who missed her family. He could understand that, he missed his mom a lot and would visit her regularly, especially after being nabbed by the Reach two years ago. After that he had been . Just like he visited Amazing regularly so she wouldn’t be so lonely. 

“Oh, hello Boy Blue” the door opened a crack and the tousled blond head peeked through the crack. Big blue eyes stared at the young boy and cherry red lips smiled a little .Dashell smiled back. 

“I brought comics for ya” He told her cheerfully and a thin hand reached through the crack in the door and took the offered comics.

“You are a very kind boy” Amazing said in amazement, like she did every day Dashell brought her something. Like she couldn’t believe anyone could be so nice. It made Dashell sad to think that he was probably the first person besides her brother and the two New God teens who was nice to her for the sake of being nice and not because they felt they absolutely had to or wanted something from her.

Dashell was friends with Princess Amethyst, who had offered to mentor him for the past year since the last Boy Blue was dead. She had explained everything she knew about the circumstances of his predecessor’s death, the twins, the rescue, everything. It had made Dashell feel important to be trusted with the information and he had occasionally gone to the hospital to help take care of the twins .They had always been sleeping when he had dropped by, but that didn’t stop him from leaving things for both twins. Amazing especially. It had to be scary being somewhere so alien and different than what you knew, with different rules and ways expected to behave. No wonder it was taking her so long to become used to Earth! Plus they wouldn’t let her see her brother except on the weekends and that could not be good for her. Dashell had tried to convince the League to allow the siblings to be together but the fourteen year old had quickly been silenced. He had no real standing being such a new hero and member of the Young Justice.

“Good news little one! I might be going to stay with Glorious soon” Amazing told Dashell excitedly and Dashell grinned. 

“That’s awesome Amazing!” he crowed and nodded happily. “I’m really excited for you! I hope all goes well so you really can go to him soon” He knew the twins were closer than normal. He had seen the kiss from one of their visits and honestly? He was alright with it. He’d seen siblings kiss each other on the lips before, little kids showing affection and despite the twins being so much older than Dashell, the boy was reminded of little kids when they were together. Although he remembered a time when Gordon Godfrey was a pompous hard-ass cynic, and he could bet anything that Amazing Grace hadn’t been the way she was now, but Dashell supposed that what they had gone through was enough to make anyone change their ways this drastically.

Because yes, he believed in the twins. 

Eventually Dashell had to leave. He gave the woman a wave. “See you tomorrow Amazing” He told her cheerfully and Amazing smiled. 

“See you tomorrow, Little Boy Blue”


	2. A Little Unsteady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not everyone trusts the new Young Justice recruits. But it's just the Bat-clan way to not trust anyone. Changling on the other hand is hoping against hope everyone is, for once, telling the truth.

**Changling**  
_Little do you know_  
How I'm breaking while you fall asleep  
Little do you know  
I'm still haunted by the memories  
Little do you know  
I'm trying to pick myself up piece by piece 

****_Little do you know_  
I need a little more time  
-Little Do You Know, Alex and Sierra 

Changling, aka Beast Boy aka Garfield was conflicted about how to proceed around the four New Gods that now made their homes on earth. He liked Big Barda just fine, she was awesome. When he wasn’t hanging out with M’gann he was bothering Big Barda. They had had a mission together with Mister Miracle and Kid Devil during an invasion of earth six months previous and Garfield had been enamored ever since. He didn’t know what to do with Little Barda, but Big Barda he could happily spend hours with playing Pokemon with. It was incredibly fun. But lately Garfield wasn’t spending as much time as he could have with her because she was spending time with her clone/daughter, Little Barda. Who didn’t even have a proper identity or life of her own outside of fighting. She had challenged Garfield to several Pokemon games and had lost terribly each time because she didn’t know how to play. When Garfield had finally asked her why she kept trying she had quietly (for her) had admitted that she didn’t know what else to do. 

He had felt bad about that, honestly he had. She was trying so hard to be herself but she was, subconsciously or not, being someone else. He could understand her want to be like Big Barda, her desire to please the woman. He had seen Conner do that with Superman too. Now though Conner had figured out who he was. He was someone who liked country and punk rock. He could beat anyone at a brawl videogame and had decided that until someone could come along that was right for him he’d remain single. He didn’t need Superman to define him anymore. Garfield hoped that eventually Little Barda would get to that point too. He knew she just needed time. Thus he tried to be supportive and had even started teaching her the basic rules of Pokemon in order to help her. Baby steps were needed. 

And speaking of baby steps, the sister of Glorious Godfrey, had started coming out of her room more and more every day. It had taken nearly two months for her to leave her bedroom but she was alive and becoming well. People gave her stares or mistrustful glares but she was still venturing out to get food or converse quietly with the new Little Boy Blue or Power Boy. Little Barda also talked to her, but not as often. Little Barda spent most of her time doing missions or trailing after Big Barda like a lost puppy or spending time with Glorious Godfrey and Conner Kent at Godfrey’s cabin. 

Garfield didn’t know what to think about the twins and the new Young Justice Members. He supposed he liked Power Boy just fine, the tall black and blond haired teen was nice enough and more than willing to try to be nice, despite his moments of utter gloom. He’d been willing to help Garfield and Impulse take care of some pranks from time to time. And Godfrey took the pranks directed at him nicely enough. It was just the memories of the past and the New Gods and what Godfrey did. It was difficult to get over. 

Garfield just wanted everything to be relatively simple and everyone to tell the truth for once. 

******Red Robin**  
_You hover like a hummingbird_  
Haunt me in my sleep  
You're sailing from another world  
Sinking in my sea, oh  
You're feeding on my energy  
I'm letting go of it  
He wants it 

****_And I run from wolves_  
Breathing heavily  
At my feet  
And I run from wolves  
Tearing into me  
Without teeth  
-Wolves Without Teeth, Of Monsters and Men 

Tim didn’t trust Glorious Godfrey and his sister. At all. Tim thought Little Barda and Powerboy were questionable but ultimately fine. They were part of his Team after all and thus not dangerous. Since Powerboy was half Kryptonian a certain green rock worked on him just as well as it worked on Conner Kent and Superman. Little Barda could be overpowered unlike Big Barda and wasn’t quite as good a fighter as her mother. They could be categorized, controlled if need be and trusted and watched. 

Glorious and Amazing? They were unknown entities. Sure, they were both just a tad less strong than Superboy and thus if they ever went berserk could be taken care of, and since they were both fairly lousy fighters compared to most superheroes....but it was their vocal powers and their shared past as members of Darkseid’s upper court made them unpredictable. Plus, with the issue with their voices he could never be sure everyone wasn’t being manipulated by Gordon Godfrey and this wasn’t all a big hoax at the expense of the hospitality of the Justice League and Young Justice. 

“Hello little Robin” the rich tones of Glorious made Tim grit his teeth and turn the evidence file he was looking at for a case Batman was letting him help work on over. It wouldn’t be wise to let _Daystar_ see the folder. Things were bad enough without The supposed new hero helping.Tim wouldn’t be able to take the voice and the paranoia that it was really leading him off a cliff and he was none the wiser. M’Gann had said Godfrey wasn’t quite powerful enough to do something that advanced. But Tim was of the opinion that it was better safe than sorry. 

“I wanted to say sorry. I know you were close to...Kid Flash and I know you blame me for his death” 

“What do you know about it?” 

“No need to be defensive. Okay you have every right, but I feel horrible about it. I do” 

“Sounds like a con to me” 

“...Yes, I suppose it does” 

They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes before Godfrey tried again ,but with a different topic. 

“Please trust Little Barda and Powerboy’s sincerity. They really are genuine and I want them to be accepted in your Team. They mean the world to me” 

“I trust them. They are accepted as far as I know, and I know a lot. And if they didn’t mean the world to you you wouldn’t have been willing to sacrifice your and your sister’s lives to save them” that was the fly in the ointment. Godfrey saving the teens. He would have been much better off leaving them and doing nothing. But he hadn’t. He had saved them and Tim couldn’t get over that. 

Godfrey waited a few more minutes before finally giving up and walking away. Tim watched him leave. Maybe he was better than previously thought, but Tim was just waiting for him to slip up. Truth be told, Tim was waiting for _everyone_ to slip up. 


	3. Mess Is Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kid Devil finds he likes his new teammates and the New God heroes very much, while Wonder Girl takes a little longer to warm up to them.

**Kid Devil**   
_You were the brightest shade of sun I had ever seen_   
_Your skin was gilded with the gold of the richest kings_   
_And like the dawn, you woke the world inside of me_   
_You were the brightest shade of sun when I saw you_

_And you will surely be the death of me_  
 _But how could I have known?_  
-The Oh Hello's - Like The Dawn

 

Kid Devil, aka Eddie Bloomberg, liked his new comrades just fine. He gave them ribbing the same way he gave Boy Blue and Changeling and Impulse ribbing. The Metahuman/demon hadn’t raised a single eyebrow when the two New God teens had shown up and had simply said “Dude. No floating it’s not the human way” he had winked one yellow eye and grinned sharp teeth at Power Boy, who had flushed a deep red and settled down onto the ground as Little Barda had smiled with weary humor. 

Eddie liked Power Boy. Like, a _lot_. 

Though Eddie was pretty sure the hybrid New God Kryptonian was straight and thus said nothing. Despite the fact Nightwing and Power Boy had 'flirting wars’ ,the first one to blush was the one who lost the round of the war. As far as Eddie was concerned, it was just to teach Power Boy how to flirt and act like a normal person. There was no real chemistry there, and Power Boy had been caught staring at Wonder Girl more than once. Eddie didn’t have the heart to tell Power Boy that Cassie was asexual and had once told him after a drunken make-out session she could only get sexually invested in someone if she really connected to them on a spiritual level. Not that Eddie could fault Power Boy for his interest; Eddie _had_ made out with her that one time at the Valentine’s party. 

It was rather limiting to have to choose partners who could withstand superhot skin andthe occasional firebreath while kissing. He was stuck dating Amazonians, demons, Kryptonians or New Gods, White Martians too (there had been a brief fling with Miss Martian, but that had fizzled out after a few months). And being bisexual, one would think he had his pick of the crop, but he was sort of stuck. Now, he could turn the heat down for periods of time, but it left him woozy and sick feeling.

He really liked Power Boy for that reason. His skin was tougher than most people’s with him being a New God/Kryptonian hybrid. It was nice to be able to high-five him or shake hands or whatever without being afraid of burning him. Eddie kind of wanted to do more, but eh.

Eddie had become a hero after the Reach, had made his deal with Neron after the death of Wally West. He was just fine with Glorious and Amazing. Hell, he thought they deserved the title of hero more than most people. 

“Hey Ellie, how was your talk with Amazing Grace?”

Dash bristled at the nickname the seventeen year old demon/metahuman had given him when they first met and learned each other’s secret identities (not that Eddie’s identity was ‘secret’ what with him being in the form with a prehensile tail and retractable wings and red skin, white hair and yellow eyes permanently)

“Why don’t you talk to her yourself barbecue breath? She came out of her room to have lunch with me today” 

“I suppose it’s safe to assume you two are rivals” 

the voice was full of amusement and Eddie looked over and got his first full view of Amazing Grace for the first time. She was beautiful in a weary way, like her brother was handsome. He stretched his hand out to shake the hand offered and nodded to her. He then grinned and winked, which she looked shocked at ,but then grinned at. “My, what a charmer. Bet you can barely keep the mortals off you” Eddie’s tail flicked at the compliment and his temperature spiked slightly in his version of a blush. 

“I could say the same thing, dear lady” 

She laughed and released his hand. Dash looked highly pleased at the positive interactions.

“See you around, tall red and charming. Tell Power Boy we said hi next time you see him”

She walked away with Dashell and left Kid Devil staring after Amazing Grace, wondering just how obvious his crush was to the people around him.

He also decided he really, really liked the New Gods that had come to earth.

 

**Wonder Girl**   
_Who am i, darling for you?_   
_Who am i_   
_To be your burden in time? Lonely_   
_Who am i, to you?_

 

_Who am i, darling for you?_   
_Who am i?_   
_To be your burden_   
_Who am i, darling to you?_   
_Who am i?_

_I come alone here_  
 _I come alone here_  
-Promise, Ben Howard

 

Cassie seemed to have gotten herself involved in some sort of love triangle/line/shape/thing. And she didn’t know how to get out of it. Yes, she was perfectly aware that Power Boy liked her. It was as obvious as the sun was hot and the moon was cold. She also knew Eddie liked Power Boy. And then _she_ still sort of liked Conner, who was moving on with Little Barda. It was all mixed up in a weird way and she didn’t know what to do about it all.

She found she really liked Amazing Grace as well, in a big sister almost sort of way. But Cassie could drop kick Amazing’s twin off a cliff. She really could. And possibly Little Barda and Power Boy if there wasn’t the very real possibility that Power Boy would just save his absolute best friend from getting hurt. Cassie just found them extremely annoying. Okay, so she was a bit jealous of Little Barda. And wished that Power Boy would just open his lovely brown eyes to see the yellow ones making googly eyes at him whenever Power Boy’s head was turned. 

It was when the Team and some of the mentors went to Disney World that things came to a head. 

“Cassie, I really....well...do you want to go on the Haunted Mansion ride with me?” Cassie looked at Power Boy’s hopeful face and then at the slightly crestfallen one of Eddie and sighed. 

“Sorry there. I, uh...want to go with Gar to Splash Mountain. Why don’t you go on the ride with Eddie instead?” if she was lucky Eddie would finally make a move. Or Power Boy could realize that Eddie really liked him. As it was the devil/metahuman had to keep tugging on Power Boy’s muscle shirt to remind him to keep his feet on the ground. During a bonding exersize the Team had discovered Power Boy preferred staying in the air because there was no chance of the ground being laced with explosives or electricity if his feet were never on it. Little Barda had coped through sheer willpower. 

Cassie followed Garfield to Splash Mountain, keeping an eye on Little Barda and Conner jealously. She really wanted to be in Little Barda’s shoes right now. 

“...can’t be with Q, you know that right?” 

That caught Cassie’s attention and while Garfield went to stand in line, she slipped round to listen in on Glorious and Helena’s conversation. 

“I realize I can’t be with him” Glorious mildly protested, though his face said opposite. “But you can’t fault me for watching from a far” Helena frowned at the New God, making it quite clear that she actually could. 

“You’re confusing him and he doesn’t know what way to turn” Helena countered. “We might both lose him if you keep pushing this. Can’t you just be happy he’s with someone he loves and leave it at that? This is Q’s choice, not yours” 

Godfrey sighed and nodded before quirking an eyebrow and turning to where Cassie stood. “Didn’t you say you were going to be with Garfield at Splash Mountain?” he asked. Blushing, Cassie scampered back to where Gar was waiting, with quite a bit to think on.

Looks like she wasn’t the only one with heart troubles.


	4. Dog Days Are Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> relationships are always worth working for and the New God teens get to settle into their families

**Power Boy**

_Through the crowd I was crying out and_   
_In your place there were a thousand other faces_   
_I was disappearing in plain sight_   
_Heaven help me I need to make it right_

_You want a revelation_   
_You want to get it right_   
_And it's a conversation_   
_I just can't have tonight_

_You want a revelation_   
_Some kind of resolution_   
_You want a revelation_

_No light, no light in your bright blue eyes_  
 _I never knew daylight could be so violent_  
 _A revelation in the light of day_  
 _You can't choose what stays and what fades away_  
-Florence and the Machine, No light No Light

“Okay, we’re onto Norwegian names since you weren’t a fan of the Latvian boy names…” Power Boy were choosing the ever important Human Identity Names together and with Glorious. He knew better than anyone what having the right name did for someone. Little Barda had chosen Bathilde as her name and it was fitting. It meant heroine and was a little on the nose but who really spent all their time looking up what names meant and analyzing them?

For Power Boy it was a little more difficult. He wanted a name to tie him in with Connor and Clark. But he also wanted something that was true to himself, Power Boy. Because like it or not, when not being shy and trying to remember to be kind like Glorious always reminded him to be, he had an addiction to violence and war and had a volatile personality. He liked Wonder Girl just fine because she was so like him and if they got in a fight, she could protect herself.

“Power Boy are you listening?” Power Boy started and looked at his rescuer and friend. He gave a sheepish smile and shook his head. Glorious sighed and started again, rapidly listing off names and meanings until he got to one.

“Stop and repeat, please”

Glorious paused and repeated the name. “Cadoc” 

“Spell it?”  
“C-A-D-O-C”

“And it means war?”

“Oh for goodness sakes do you want the name or not?” Glorious asked in exasperation and Power Boy gave his sheepish smile.

“I like it. Cadoc Godfrey-Kent” there had been a little bit of an awkwardness between Superman and Glorious when they got Power Boy’s DNA tested and found they were the parents. For Superman this was deja vu and for Glorious it wasn’t an entire shock given the fact he’d slept with so many people. But Superman didn’t really like Glorious, who was extending the olive branch for the sake of Power Boy, who’d admitted he wanted his fathers to get along. To add to the awkwardness was the fact that Ma Kent had found out and had invited Glorious and Power Boy to stay at her farm whenever they were nearby. 

At least Superboy seemed to like his new half-brother alright. That was something. 

“Cadoc Godfrey-Kent it is then, though for the sake of appearances and circumstance, choose only one last name for public use”

“But you’re both my fathers. I don’t want to give preference”

“But two men having a son is unheard of on earth among humans my lad, you’re going to have to choose or pretend Amazing is your mother” Power Boy made a face and Glorious gave a short laugh. “I’d go with Cadoc Kent, since you look more like Superman anyway” Power Boy, already thinking of himself as Cadoc, nodded a little glumly. Glorious gave a little smile. “Why don’t you go find your teammates and tell them what you chose?”

Power Boy, now Cadoc, nodded and got up from Glorious’ kitchen table and walked out to the porch, where his half brother was talking quietly with Little Barda, probably going over her new name. Cadoc cleared his throat and they started and looked back at him. “So, what did you call yourself?” Superboy, Conner, asked and Cadoc smiled. “Cadoc Godfrey-Kent” he said a touch proudly. “Cadoc Kent in public” Connor nodded and walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. 

“Sounds good, big brother” he smirked and Cadoc smirked back. Unlike Conner, Cadoc was the age he appeared, seventeen. Which made him the older brother, though the kid brother was the senior member of the team. It was a bit of a joke between them. Cadoc touched his comm link and requested to be beamed up to the Watchtower, where he knew his aunt was. Before he did he went and hugged Little Barda. “Now we have our names” he said warmly and she grinned back at him. 

“We can begin our new lives properly” she said happily.  
In the tower they were preparing for christmas, which was a few weeks away. Cadoc was in love with holidays of earth, he knew that much. Thanksgiving had been a treat, though he’d been honestly sad that Glorious had decided not to have thanksgiving with the Kents, but that just meant Cadoc had two thanksgivings and he couldn’t get enough of the rich food of earth. Glorious had made his own favorite foods, four days of preparations and as such they had had Norwegian, Turkish, Chinese and French foods as opposed to the traditional turkey. It had been absolutely great and Power Boy was already ready to do it again. Maybe Christmas, which if what everyone said was true, you also got gifts thrown into the mix as well as good food and good company. Could it get any better? He was half convinced he’d died and gone to heaven. 

He ran into Eddie and smiled a little nervously at him. He was nice enough and always there for him, but Eddie also really _liked_ him and it scared Cadoc because Eddie hadn’t seen his nasty side. He hadn’t seen his Apokolyptian temper tantrums and the broken arm he’d once given Little Barda. He didn’t know that of all the teens in the orphanage, Power Boy had been Granny Goodness’s favorite for his sheer lack of morality in battle and his savagry. He was scared of that side of himself and didn’t want someone as nice as Eddie to get hit with that. 

“Hi Eddie” he said quietly and Eddie almost beamed at him.

“So, did you get yourself a name? Or was that not today?”

“It’s Cadoc” 

Eddie paused and nodded slowly. “So Cadoc...want to catch a movie?” it was brought out in a rush and the temperature of the hallway spiked. Cadoc started floating in a loss of control as panic overtook him. 

“Eddie, listen, I’m not the best guy and I’m really awful when my temper gets going and-”

Eddie reached up, grabbed his face, and brought him down into a kiss. After a moment Cadoc kissed him back.

Maybe this was worth it.

 

**Little Barda**

_I could be a gun in your hand if it's what you need_   
_No one's gonna give their heart away_   
_Every time you fall I'll come running, yeah, with breakneck speed_   
_Even when I know it's too late_

_I could give a piece of me to everyone I meet_  
 _Everyone's a fool for the unknown_   
_I could give a piece of me to everyone I meet_  
 _But I'm yours alone_  
 _I could tell you're soft in the middle every time we kiss_  
 _No one ever take your breath away_  
 _I'm not gonna count every second that with you I’m with_  
 _Time is just a rule that you break_  
-Ali Ingle, Yours Alone

Little Barda, or Bathilde as she’d asked everyone to call her when not on missions, loved life, Superboy and friendly competition of any and every sort. She also had an identity crisis, being the daughter and clone of Big Barda. She wanted to be accepted as the woman’s daughter so desperately it hurt. But Big Barda barely acknowledged her besides a ‘well done’ on missions and hesitantly asking her to thanksgiving dinner. But Bathilde wanted more, so much more. 

When she was a child she’d heard from an abducted human girl about how, when her life had been good before the divorce, she’d been read to and tucked in at night and had her mom go to all her concerts and her mom would cook her dinner every night. Her mom was someone she could come home to and be safe with. Little Barda fantasized about a mom like that, and wanted Big Barda to be that mom. But the woman didn’t seem to know how. 

Conner had been an immense help during this time and one of the times Little Barda had allowed herself to cry, he’d found her and comforted her. After that, well, things had progressed and Bathilde now had a boyfriend. Someone she loved with all her heart. 

She was also happy that Power Boy, now calling himself Cadoc, had found his own family. Superman could do with some work, but Glorious was everything in a parent Little Barda had always wanted and she was jealous. Although she wondered how the christmas would work with him starting a relationship with Red Devil. He was violent and they both knew it well. She was his punching bag and he was her grounding when she got too in the clouds.They balanced each other well. 

“Is it weird to be dating the brother of your best friend?” Connor had asked her once and she had laughed. 

“Nope. It’s weird to explain but it doesn’t bother me, truly. I like being with you and continuing to be his friend” Things wouldn’t even get awkward if they broke up, she didn’t think. She and Cadoc would just continue doing their thing. 

“Bathilde, listen” Conner took her by the hand and looked into her eyes. “You can choose family. I know Big Barda isn’t your ideal mom, but you have someone who fits the bill” she didn’t get him but smiled and nodded anyway. 

They made their way to where Amazing Grace was getting ready to finally be reunited with her brother and Amazing went and hugged Little Barda tightly and kissed her cheek. “Bathilde, darling! Are you eating enough? Is everything going okay?”

It hit her then like a thunderbolt and she laughed in delight.

Maybe she didn’t have the ideal biological mom, but Amazing had almost given up her life for Bathilde and Cadoc, and always asked how they were doing. 

If she had to choose someone to give ‘Mom of the Year” awards to, she’d choose Amazing Grace Godfrey any day of the week.


End file.
